Press | Media

At BAU 2025 in Munich, researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI will be presenting a building construction made from high-quality pine wood components, a wooden beam comprised of reclaimed waste wood, and with insulation materials made from renewable raw materials as well as insulation materials featuring fungal mycelium as an innovative binding agent. With this model, the researchers are demonstrating resource-conserving innovations for building using recycled materials such as waste wood or hemp hurds.

Building with wood provides an important contribution towards climate protection. By combining wood and concrete, the Fraunhofer WKI is significantly expanding the range of applications for timber constructions. By means of a novel bonding technology, an accelerated production of wood-concrete composite elements (WCC elements) has been made possible. The aim is to establish construction with WCC elements in multi-story buildings as a competitive alternative to pure precast reinforced concrete components.

At BAU 2025 in Munich, researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI will be presenting a project in which innovative aerogels are being developed from waste wood. These sustainable materials are being utilized by the researchers to develop, amongst other things, pollutant-adsorbing air filters and recyclable insulation materials.

The European Wood-based Panel Symposium took place in Hamburg from October 9 to 11, 2024, with around 375 guests from 31 countries taking part and making the event a great success. The Fraunhofer WKI and the European Panel Federation (EPF) organized the networking event for the 13^th time in cooperation with the International Association for Technical Issues Related to Wood (Internationaler Verein für Technische Holzfragen e. V. iVTH) and Hywax GmbH.

Andreas Göbert, Professor Philipp Eversmann and Professor Dr Julian Lienhard from the University of Kassel have been awarded the Wilhelm Klauditz Prize 2024 for their work “3DWoodWind Research Prototype - Modular Building System made of Wound Hollow Profiles”. The prize is awarded by the International Association for Technical Issues Related to Wood (Internationaler Verein für Technische Holzfragen e. V. iVTH) is awarding the prize for the 12^th time.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are developing bio-based adhesives on the basis of renewable raw materials and biogenic residues. Adhesives, with their versatile range of application possibilities, are a key technology in the joining of materials and, consequently, the conservation of finite resources. As a result of their broad spectrum of applications, adhesives are a growth market. The substitution of conventional adhesives with bio-based adhesives provides an important contribution towards the realization of a bio-based circular economy.

In collaboration with industrial partners, scientists at the Fraunhofer WKI have developed concepts for the material utilization of humins. Humins are dark, highly viscous compounds. They accrue as a by-product during the production of polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a new bio-based substitute for the bulk plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET). As a result of their complex chemical structure, humins are suitable for a wide range of applications, for example as binders. According to calculations, tens of thousands of tons of humins will accrue every year in the medium to long term, for which no applications currently exist.

The corona pandemic has shown just how important it is to protect people in indoor areas against infection through airborne pathogens. Mobile air purifiers can, in principle, contribute to this. Until now, there has been no uniform method for testing their effectiveness. Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI have therefore developed a standardised testing method to close this gap.

Change in leadership of the Fraunhofer WKI: On the 1st of October 2024, Prof. Dr. Raoul Klingner assumed the acting director position of the institute. He holds a degree in Wood Science and Technology and an honorary professorship at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technische Universität Braunschweig. He will complement the successful institute with his expertise and experience in strategic research management.

On 9^th October 2024, the European Wood-based Panel Symposium in Hamburg began with an evening event. The Fraunhofer WKI and the European Panel Federation (EPF) are organizing the networking event for the 13^th time in cooperation with the International Association for Technical Issues Related to Wood (iVTH). The worldwide largest event of this kind offers the around 370 participants from Germany and abroad the possibility, from 9^th to 11^th October 2024, to exchange ideas regarding the most important trends and challenges in the wood-based materials industry.